


Omega Brain, We Have a Problem

by Rjslpets



Series: An Avenging Omega [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alernative Universe, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Pack Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-06-09 21:04:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6923308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rjslpets/pseuds/Rjslpets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony is settling in as Omega of the Avengers Pack. But problems arise when everyone gets a little too busy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Science and Hot Black Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here is the next installment of the series. This one has more angst and explores some of the downsides of being Omega that Tony hadn't thought of.
> 
> For people new to the stories, in this universe, people organize into Packs. All packs have an alpha and a very few have omegas. Omegas chose their roles and get inducted into the pack. Omegas are restricted to their packs and must have pack protection and companionship at all time.
> 
> Comments and kudos make authors write better!
> 
> I try to post at least once a week, although this story may be up faster as I have it written, but not revised. Unbeta'd so I apologize for any errors.

“Hey J! Cut the music will you? I think the mojo is gone for now.” Tony straightened up from where he had been hunched over his workstation and stretched. He was almost through the redesign of the propulsion systems for the new Quinjet. The quiet had been very fruitful for engineering. He glanced at the clock that JARVIS had nicely thrown up and whistled as he saw the time. Strange that he hadn’t been interrupted by now. Of course, Bruce had left that afternoon, the spy twins had been gone for two weeks, Thor was in London, but Steve had been due back from a mission earlier in the evening.

When Tony had seen Bruce off to his science conference that afternoon, he had assured the scientist that the Omega would be fine. “Brucie-bear, I will lock myself in my workroom and respond to no one and you know I do that spectacularly. Steve will be here in about 4 hours and he will immediately pull me out of heaven and insist on ‘special Alpha time’.” This was unarguable as Steve never shared Tony the first night he was back. “Really, Bruce,” he continued more seriously, “I know how much this conference means to you. I will be fine.” Bruce had been so pleased when his paper had been accepted for the conference; it was the first time he would be presenting since the Big Guy showed up. It had taken significant encouragement from Tony and, after prompting, from the rest of the Pack to get Bruce to submit anything to a scientific conference. Tony did not want him to miss this opportunity.

Which brought Tony back to the fact that Steve should have been down in the lab and bothering Tony about eating by now.  It was possible that Steve had decided to take a nap first, although it was odd that JAVIS hadn’t announced the Alpha’s arrival. Tony always responded to the warning that one of the Pack was returning; he blamed Omega Brain for his inability to not be standing at the elevator like a faithful dog. Actually, Tony thought it was better Steve be well rested as they needed to have a serious conversation.

Since induction, Tony had been busy. There were all the new duties that he had taken on as Omega; Pack bonding, the development of the new scent guards, Operation: Annoy Fury (Steve would argue that was not Pack business, But he was _wrong_ ). He had developed a new operating system for the Stark Phone, and then walked Stark R&D, via video conference, through the issuance and support of said new Stark Phone. He and Pepper had hung their hats on that product line being successful and eliminating the final grumbles from the board about losing the weapon contracts. As a result, Tony worked his ass off on it and it had been a total hit; sales through the roof and major Wall Street love. The success of the launch a month before had led to a meeting (again via video) with the Board who, for the first time in a long time, were thrilled with their Chief of R&D. Of course, there was the always constant development of the armor and he had created some cool new toys for the Pack. All these endeavors had been interrupted by various Avenger call outs. Tony thought they added a piquant sauce to his life.

The Pack had been busy as well. Now that they had confused Fury and SHIELD about the status of the Omega, Clint had gone back to work. Tony himself hated therapy for anything, but it had definitely worked for Clint. Natasha had been thrilled to have her playmate back, especially now that she was working without Coulson. Steve had begun to take assignments as well, although not undercover. Fury had uttered something about deception as a necessity. His ability to strategize and lead put him in high demand and, it turned out, he was also an excellent trainer. Bruce was busy and happy in his lab; working now on various projects related to poverty eradication. Thor spent most of his time with his Jane, although Tony had made an offer to meet her for possibly inclusion in the Pack.

So, very busy, and Tony should be happy and content. His Pack was busy and happy and he was busy, but he wasn’t happy.  He had woken up three weeks ago and realized he hadn’t actually left the Pack quarters since induction, other than for Avenger assemblies and the launch.  He wasn’t sure if that was normal for an Omega, if it was the natural extension of the limitations on omega social activities. But it was causing him a feeling of, well, claustrophobia.  Once he had realized that he hadn’t been outside without armor in months, he began to feel trapped. Of course he should have asked Steve about a field trip; he thought that was ok for an Omega. He had asked Omega Brain, but it didn’t seem to have an opinion as long as the Pack was with him. But then there had been a pesky lag issue with the armor, the weird whatever those were in Central Pack, and the aftermath of the Starkphone launch and three weeks had gone by before Tony had time to ask about taking a field trip. By that time, Bruce was the only one in the tower and he didn’t know any more than Tony if Omegas went on field trips. Tony needed Steve.

He was counting on having Steve to himself to have the conversation as he thought it might be a difficult one. Tony didn’t want much, maybe dinner at a restaurant? He could use the special scent guards that he had created (and which Steve hated, although he understood their value).  It would be nice to take a walk in Central Park and maybe get a pretzel. Soft pretzels had always been a weakness of his and they didn’t taste the same if they weren’t straight from the cart. Maybe he could sell it to Steve as a bonding experience for the two of them? At this point, he was even willing to go on a tour of ‘Special Steve Places in Brooklyn’ if it meant he could walk outside.

This whole train of thought brought him back to the fact that Steve had not come down to the workshop yet. He had seen Bruce down the elevator at 4:00 p.m. and had headed to the workshop; sure that Steve would drag him out for food by 8:00 p.m. But now it was after 2:00 a.m. and Tony had been undisturbed. A little worried (was Steve hurt?), Tony headed up to the penthouse.

“JARVIS, did Steve ask you to tell me something before he fell asleep?”

“Alpha Rogers did not give me a message. He is not in the Tower.”

Tony almost sat down on the floor of the elevator in shock. Steve wasn’t in the Tower? There were no other Pack members presently in New York; Steve knew that. Why would Steve have left Tony alone in the Tower? It had been dinned into Tony’s ears repeatedly before and after induction that he was never going to be left alone anywhere, not even in the Tower. In fact, one of the reasons that Tony had encouraged Bruce to leave was the novelty of not having someone else in his space for a few hours. He had told Omega Brain to shut it when it complained. The Pack had always been adamant about being around him; this was the first deep engineering groove he had been able to have in months without being interrupted. Maybe Steve wanted to get something special for Tony? Bruce had occasionally run out to the coffee shop on the corner to get the empanadas they both liked, leaving him alone in Pack quarters and no one had objected. Well, Cap had grumped a little when he found out, but when pushed, he had said that it was fine and admitted he was a little bit over protective (the same way rock is a little bit hard, Cap).

“JARVIS, did Cap say where he was going?”

“Alpha Rogers has not been in the Tower for two weeks. He has not left any messages.”

Oh, OK – so Steve hadn’t come back yet. It was possible that he had gotten delayed at SHIELD. Those briefings could go on for hours which is why Tony almost never attended. Well, that and the fact that most of them were at SHIELD and it freaked the Pack out. So, Cap might just be held up and, if he didn’t remember that Bruce was due to leave today, it wouldn’t occur to him to walk out. So, there was no reason to collapse in hysterics, Tony firmly told Omega Brain who apparently decided that the Alpha was dead since Steve was not currently cuddling and feeding them. Omega Brain was illogical, impracticable, and demanding as hell.

Tony stood silent in the middle of his bedroom and realized that he was alone in the Tower. The Pack had abandoned him. For a moment, he was in shock and then…”Whoopee! JARVIS, we are going to science!” He raced to the kitchen, filled the super mug (the one the Pack refused to allow him to use) with hot black coffee and went back to the workroom, thrilled at the thought of no interruptions!


	2. Jumping Off Crazy Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An engineering fugue will only take you so far as Tony learns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is one more chapter. I may have another two up tomorrow because I am on a roll. Thanks for the comments and the kudos.

Tony shook himself out of his engineering coma and checked the time; it was now 9:00 p.m. and he had been working for almost 20 hours. There still was no sign of Steve and he was aware of concern creeping over him, even in engineering fugue. Omega Brain was beyond concerned and was vacillating between anger that the Alpha was not catering to its every whim and worry that something had happened to Cap. Tony told Omega Brain that it was being paranoid. Steve was probably just delayed and he hadn’t remembered that Bruce had been due to leave yesterday. Could Steve be hurt? No, he reassured Omega Brain, SHIELD would have called; they always called now when someone was hurt. After Cap had given them the (trademarked by Tony Stark) “Captain America Is Disappointed in You” look when they had failed to inform everyone at the Tower that Natasha had a broken arm, they always called. His phone showed no calls or messages, or at least, not from anyone he cared about. He tried to call Steve, but the number just rang through to the generic message that always indicated that Steve was on a mission to those in the know. Of course, Steve might still be held up in a briefing.

Tony considered his options. He could call Maria Hill and try to get information out of her. But he couldn’t do that until the morning. Since no one at SHIELD knew he was Omega, there was no reason for him to demand to know where Captain America was in the middle of the night. He could get away with a casual inquiry tomorrow. Until then, he could dive back into his workshop. By the time it was early enough to call Hill, Steve would probably be at the Tower and yelling at Tony about letting Bruce leave and not eating and not sleeping. Tony found himself wandering the Pack quarters aimlessly. This was the longest stretch of time that he had been out of the presence of one of the Pack since induction. He finally wound up in the Pack room.

He was feeling off balance now; an itch of anxiety at the back of his mind that he couldn’t blame on Omega Brain. Tony gave himself a mental shake; first thing he should do is have something to eat. He was probably just hungry and that was why everything seemed overwhelming. After all, he hadn’t actually had to think about food since induction. The Pack just presented him with food when they decided he hadn’t eaten for a long enough time. Tony wandered over to the kitchenette which turned out to contain no edible food. There was something in the fridge that might have once been edible, but Tony was sure that it was now in the process of reanimating itself.

“Ugh! JARVIS, make a note to get the kitchenette cleaned out.”

“Certainly Sir. But may I remind you that the cleaning staff has been forbidden from entering the Pack quarters since you became Omega.”

“Shit!” That’s right; Steve had decided that having non-Pack cleaning staff was not allowed when Tony was in residence. Another argument for a day out then; unlike Avenging, days out could be scheduled to accommodate cleaning staff.  Well, Tony was not going to touch what was in that fridge with an Iron Man gauntlet. So, down to the common kitchen it was. It was eerie being on the common floor without any other Pack around. Tony felt strangely exposed and defenseless. He had to fight an impulse to put on one of the suits. But that would be giving in to the irrational fears of the Omega Brain.  Definitely worrying about being alone in the Pack’s quarters was Omega Brain. He had been alone in the whole dammed Tower at one point, for over a month during construction, and that hadn’t bothered him at all.

He yanked open the freezer and discovered that Bruce must have been worried about leaving him, because there, with a note on it saying “For Tony Only (and that means don’t touch, Clint)”, was a frozen serving of Bruce’s special curry. Feeling much better with the prospect of food (at least, that was what Tony told himself was causing him to hum; not evidence that the Pack cared), he carried it up to the Pack Room. Using the microwave up there just made sense, he argued to himself, as he wouldn’t have to move again when he went to sleep. As hideouts go, the Pack Room was pretty spectacular. It had everything Tony could want. There was a kitchenette, a state of the art coffee maker, a full media set up and a view of the city and it was drenched in Pack scent.

He settled himself into the middle of the nest and tried to let the combined smells of his Pack soothe him. It didn’t work. Instead he began to analyze the Pack scent. Thor was very faint, but that was usual for the alien. Bruce’s scent was the strongest and then Steve’s; Tony couldn’t smell his own scent, although he knew that it must be very strong as all Omega scents were. Clint and Natasha were both faint, almost as faint as Thor’s. They had been away so long that their scents were fading. Tony tried to figure out when all the Pack had last been in the Tower and was startled to realize that it had been at the launch over a month ago. He should have been aware of that; He was pretty sure that a good Omega would have noticed and done something about it.

Tony knew when it was time to take control of his brain and this was it, “Enough! Crazy train is stopping at this station and I am jumping off. I am going to eat my yummy Bruce curry and go to sleep and Cap will be here when I wake up.” Except, Steve wasn’t.

Tony jolted awake. It took several minutes of breathing exercises and calming mantras before he was free enough of the nightmare to move. When he could, he looked around, proving to himself that he was safe in the Pack Room. He even had a suit nearby.  Why did he have a suit nearby? When had his stupid Omega Brain decided to put a suit in the Pack Room? At least, this time, it wasn’t attacking anyone.

“JARVIS, did Steve send a message?”

“No Sir.”

“What time is it J.?”

“4:32 a.m. Sir.” Well, he wasn’t going back to sleep; he should go to the workshop. But despite sternly talking to Omega Brain, Tony found himself unable to leave the nest in the Pack room or send the suit away.

Finally, dawn came and then full morning. At 8:30 a.m., as early as he thought reasonable, Tony called Maria Hill. “Hey Hill, just coming out of an engineering jag and realized that Cap wasn’t around. Wasn’t he due back?”

“Stark, I am not the Avengers social secretary.” There was a pause and then she continued, grudgingly, “The mission has been extended. Maybe another couple of weeks. Now, I have actual work to do.” And she hung up, apparently unconcerned with the complete silence on the other end of the phone.

“A couple of weeks?” thought Tony a little hysterically. How could his Alpha decide to be gone over a month (or longer) and not even call him? Especially since Steve must have known that the other Avengers were not going to be around. Cap had promised to make it back so Bruce could go and it hadn’t even occurred to Tony that he wouldn’t keep his word. Of course, Steve might have thought that the Spy Twins would be back; they had been due five days ago, but they had also been “extended.” And, of course, since SHIELD didn’t know that the Avengers Pack has an Omega, they wouldn’t know to tell him the schedule or arrange for him to have access to Steve. Tony was pretty sure that omegas could contact their alphas whenever they wanted to; hadn’t that Air Force officer, Wasserman, mentioned that?

What was he going to do?


	3. Just a Little Omega Freakout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Tony has realized that no Pack members are in the tower and he decides that he can just chill for the next four days; Omega Brain disagrees vehemently with this course of action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is where we start to see the downside of being an omega.
> 
> Thank you for the messages and kudos! It really helps me write.
> 
> I have a couple of drabbles I might post in the next few weeks and then it is time for CA: The Winter Soldier and how that impacts our merry little Pack.

Ok, no reason to panic. Bruce was due back from his conference in four days. Tony could do four days by himself. Hell, he could spend it all in the workroom and really get shit done!

Over the course of the day, Tony developed a significant hatred for Omega Brain. Omega Brain didn’t want to work on technology, Omega Brain wanted to cuddle with Pack. Omega Brain was convinced that something awful had happened to the Pack and began presenting him with increasingly horrifying scenarios. And no matter what Tony told himself, he could not fight off a creeping feeling that he was in danger. He felt uncomfortable and exposed whenever he left the Pack Room. He told himself that this feeling was purely an unconscious and instinctive reaction and there was no reason to give in to it. He was perfectly safe in the Tower – it was a god dammed fortress! The Pack would be back soon. For crissake, no one outside the Pack even knew he was the Omega!

Time slowly crept forward and every hour was more difficult than the last. Tony became more and more agitated. “What Omega is abandoned by their Pack?” echoed through his head. An Omega was supposed to be surrounded by Pack and at the center of their lives; he, on the other hand, wasn’t even on the schedule for his Pack. Tony began to realize the price of becoming Omega in those long lonely hours. He had opened himself to the Pack, had forced himself to depend on their care, only for it to vanish without any discussion or reason. But they were very busy and their schedules weren’t always predictable, Tony reasoned. It wasn’t like they just forgot. But, Omega Brain pointed out, they _had_ just forgotten.

Maybe he was failing to establish and maintain his position in the Pack? The possibility that this was his fault occurred to him. Tony knew he was a very unusual Omega. Since induction, he had researched everything he could find on omega behavior (which was not much) and he now knew that most modern Omegas decided on their orientation as adolescents during that period of intense temporary Pack bonds. They would then find permanent Packs as adults and undergo induction; the military tried hard to attract them at just before as it was easier to coalesce a War Pack around an existing Omega. Most would disappear into the centers of family or, more rarely, into other types of Packs.  To become one at Tony’s age was extraordinary. And to become one outside of regular bonds, like blood, work or the military was unheard of, or at least, Tony had found no record of any similar situation.

If he had been like traditional Omegas, he would be into his third decade of caring for a Pack. Instead he felt most of the time like he was just fumbling around for what to do. Steve tried to help, but the Howling Commandos had formed during a war which meant, as Steve put it, pack bonding by being shot at. Tony knew that as Omega he was responsible for maintaining the Pack bonds and seeing to the emotional needs of the Pack members, but there wasn’t a manual on how to do that (he knew because he had JARVIS search for one and nada). Instead, he had to rely on instinct (the silly Omega Brain) and his own ingenuity – which was considerable but not reliable when it came to interpersonal relationships.

So Tony, king of the fucked-up relationships, tried his best to strengthen and maintain the dynamic of the Pack. He had established rituals to strengthen Pack bonds, like Movie Night and Sunday brunch (also an excuse to have Clint bake). At least once a week, he spent individual time with each Pack member who was in residence – in this case, it was a blessing that there were only 5 of them. In spite of his own busy schedule, he thought he had prioritized the Pack’s needs. They all had unimpeded access to his bedroom and workshop. Only Bruce, Tony thought, really understood how hard that had been in the case of the workshop. The bedroom hadn’t been a hardship at all; Tony had always had a strong sensuous side and it was nice to have playmates who understood the arc reactor and had scars of their own. Tony knew he was an inventive and generous lover, so he couldn’t imagine that was part of the problem. He also tried to give his attention equally to all members of the Pack, except Steve. As Alpha, he had first claim, although being Steve, he rarely exercised it. Maybe that was a problem? Should he be spending more time with Steve?

Maybe his time was too divided with his work for Stark Industries and his friendships outside the Pack? Most Omegas had no relations outside the Pack and Tony had plunged right back into Stark Industries work when seclusion ended. He had actually written most of the new phone’s operating system during the seclusion. Maybe he had too many outside contacts? He spoke to Pepper every day and she was in Pack quarters about once a week. She used to be there more before induction, but Pepper had decided that as Alpha of the SI Management Pack (although that was a weak bond), once a week was all that the Pack should have to stand. But really they couldn’t function if they had any less communication; she was the CEO of the company he mostly owned and that the Pack depended on for income. He hadn’t seen Rhodey since induction, but he spoke to him once a week. Happy was still head of security for the Tower and consulted with Tony about once a week (which was about how often Tony came up with a brilliant idea for improving security). That meant he was spending at least 10 hours a week with non-Pack (although Happy might count as Pack. Tony was still confused about that one); the Pack might see that as too much and neglectful.

There must have been _something_ that he had done wrong to wind up alone. The one thing that Steve, Wasserman, and every other source he could find, emphasized was that the Omega was always with Pack members. An Omega should be so essential to a Pack’s relationship that they were in constant attendance; it was the flip side of the Omega’s seclusion. He wasn’t even sure how to address the problem. Maybe he could get Rhodey to let him talk to Wasserman again? But it would be so humiliating to have to explain to another Omega what happened. “Um, could you tell me what to do to avoid being forgotten by my Pack?”

“Sir, I am sure that it isn’t anything that you have done. I think you should contact Dr. Banner and ask him to return.”

Tony started; he hadn’t realized that he had been speaking out loud. “No, I am not calling Bruce back. He is so happy at the idea of discussing nuclear physics with other hard-science types. I won’t interrupt that. And there must be something that I did, or didn’t do that caused this to happen. Is there anything in the folder about abandonment?” When he had been researching omega stuff, he had compiled the results for later reference. He kept updating the index as he had questions. The index was now more comprehensive than the results.

“The only discussion with that topic concern circumstances that are not relevant here.” There was a hesitation in the AI’s voice. Tony snorted at the evasion and said, “Come on J, what is the problem?”

“Well, Sir, the results are mostly concerned with desertion or destruction of the Pack and neither of those situations are relevant to the current circumstances.”

“J. I am standing alone in the Pack quarters. I think that constitutes ‘abandonment’.”

“The information in the folder refers only to abandonment that leads to the permanent disbanding of the Pack. Sir? Sir! Are you all right?”

Tony had reeled (and he had never known what that meant until this moment). His vision had blurred and his feet felt like he was walking on ice when heard the word ‘disbanding’. He shook his head hard and mentally shoved back at the gibbering Omega Brain. The Avengers were not disbanding; if they had been, there would be yelling. He was positive that disbanding would be accompanied by massive amounts of screaming at Tony, by Steve, by Fury, even by Pepper. There had been no yelling; no discussions of his inadequacies, so disbanding was not happening. “I’m fine J. Just a little Omega freak out. OK, this is just a little scheduling problem, right? Bruce and I thought Steve was going to be here and Steve thought Natasha and Clint were back. Just a miscommunication that’s all. I am not going to freak the fuck out and start calling everyone because there was a little issue.”

“Sir, I don’ think this is a little...”

“Enough J!” Tony interrupted him; he really needed to stop thinking about this. He was going to take a trip to the common floor and pick up refreshments and then he was going to relax and watch some movies. He could work on the StarkTab, prepping for the launch of that in a few months. Before he knew it, it would be time for Bruce’s return.


	4. Omega Brain Has Got a Little List

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony continues to slip into a feral state.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Tony! Things are getting worse in this chapter but they will get better soon!
> 
> Thank you again for the kind comments and kudos; they feed the author and make more fiction.

By the third day, Tony had given up. He was hiding in the Pack Room, only venturing out while wearing his armor and suffering from a level of anxiety he hadn’t experienced since just after Afghanistan. His tension had ratcheted so high that JARVIS had stopped initiating any conversation in the hopes of keeping his creator calm. Tony kept telling himself, as each day passed, that it was one day closer to Bruce coming home. But he could feel his grasp on calm slipping. Going feral – he had come across the concept in his research and his conversations with Wasserman. An Omega under stress could slip into a mental state that Tony understood to be close to berserker rage. Supposedly an instinctual response to threats to pack, a feral omega was a threat to themselves and anyone around them. It was as if his conscious mind was being overwhelmed by Omega Brain – its disquiet was intensifying by the hour; the Pack was dead, injured, captured. Tony KNEW that none of that was happening; SHIELD or someone else would have summoned the Avengers. But the horrible images and the sense of despair and helplessness didn’t abate.

But, Tony kept telling himself, Bruce was coming back and that seemed to keep the anxiety somewhat at bay. Until he got a text from Bruce saying that Bruce had been invited to a post-conference workshop on gamma radiation treatment and that he would be another four days. The text was followed by an email filled with details on the conference, the enthusiastic response to his paper, and possible collaborations with other researchers. Tony knew he should tell Bruce that Steve had never come; that he was alone in the Tower; that he was slowly turning feral. But…Bruce was so happy to be back in the science world. And he was obviously (even in text speak) thrilled at being asked to participate in the workshop. Tony couldn’t take it away from him, so he texted that it was fine and not to worry about anything. Omega Brain, who had been quieted for a moment by contact (even virtual) with a happy Pack member, roared back to full alert.

The whole situation was made worse when Tony realized there was no more food in the Pack Quarters. Actually, there was a lot of food in the common kitchen, but it all required cooking and Tony was bad at that even on his best days. These were definitely not his best days. And he wasn’t sure if he could cook in the suit and he didn’t have a hope in hell of convincing Omega Brain to be on the common floor without it. He couldn’t get delivery because the very idea of non-Pack inside the Pack quarters gave him the shakes and set the repulsors to charging. He couldn’t leave because he had promised Steve he wouldn’t when he had developed the Omega scent maskers and, well, Omega Brain wouldn’t allow it anyway. Hunger on top of the lack of sleep was making it even more difficult to maintain any control over his actions. At this point, he was worried about everyone else in the building. Feral omegas could go on rampages, killing everyone in their path and Omega Brain already had a list of people it would like dead (Fury topped the list at the moment, but one of the names in the files of potential pack members he sent over was a close second, and Tony hadn’t even met her). Tony had armor and a skyscraper full of people to use it on. He had to stay in control and that meant that he needed food. Steve was unavailable, the spy twins where god-knows-where, Bruce was at the workshop, Thor was…

Thor! Of course, why hadn’t Tony thought of this sooner? Thor was only in London; he could zip back in a matter of hours and get Tony something to eat. Maybe he could stay and cuddle for a little bit, just until Omega Brain calmed the fuck down and Tony could walk around his penthouse again. He didn’t want to interfere with Thor and his Jane because it made the god so happy to be with his beloved. But this would only take a day and she was probably sciencing anyway. Tony would just ask nicely. Omega Brain actually calmed a bit at the idea of a Pack member being back at the tower. That gave Tony back enough clarity to be able to take action.

“J. Call Thor – no wait, he broke the last phone, right? Do we have Jane Foster’s number? Ring that.”

“Yes, Sir.” There was relief in the AI’s voice at the first logical thought spoken by the engineer in almost 12 hours. There was a pause and then JARVIS spoke, “Connected.”

Jane Foster’s voice came from the speakers in the ceiling, “Hello?”

“Hi. This is Tony Stark, one of Thor’s Pack mates?” Tony wasn’t actually sure what Thor had told his Jane about the Avengers. As a bonding activity, Tony had listened to Thor’s odes to his beloved Jane and the brave Lady Darcy. He had smothered Omega Brain’s jealousy and told Thor that if they wanted to move to New York, he would offer them Pack bond. He hadn’t actually mentioned that to Steve yet.

“Oh, Omega Stark?” Well, apparently, Thor told her everything and it was odd to hear the honorific. Tony hadn’t met anyone who was the outside Pack and addressed him formally, so he had never heard the title applied to him before.

“Yeah. Is Thor around?” he hoped he sounded all right; he felt like a nutcase. Omega Brain was brooding about Jane and her relationship to Thor in the back of his mind. Not helping he thought at it fiercely.

“Sure, but I don’t want to give him my phone. I’m sorry, but we need at least one phone here that works.” Tony could sympathize. He had spent months coming up with a communicator that was shielded enough to withstand Thor’s unconscious use of electricity. He had had no luck with getting a cell phone to be that resilient.

“No problem. I was just wondering if you could spare him for a day? I could use him back here in New York.” There that sounded casual and not too demanding.

“Is there an Avenger problem? I didn’t hear that thing go off and even in total science headspace, I think I would hear it. People dead from the apocalypse could hear that thing.” This was true; the Avengers Assemble alarm was designed to be virtually un-ignorable (was that a word, it should totally be a word).

“No, it’s more like a Pack scheduling problem.” Tony figured that Jane Foster was a science geek like Bruce; if it didn’t have to do with her work, she generally ignored it.

“A scheduling problem? But why would you…” Apparently, Jane Foster was not that blind to what was going on around her. “Omega Stark” (and now Tony winced at the formal title) “are there any Pack members with you at the moment?”  She sounded confused now, and a little appalled. Tony didn’t answer – he really didn’t have the energy to lie. The jolt that had gone through him when he realized that Thor could come back was fading. Omega Brain was chittering something about exposing himself to non-Pack and how awful it was that Thor liked the non-Pack. Tony could barely keep the two streams of thought straight. It was JARVIS who answered Jane’s question.

“Dr. Foster, this is JARVIS, Omega Stark’s electronic butler. Omega Stark has been alone in the tower for 3 days now and I am afraid he is sinking into the state known as ‘feral’.”

“Three days?” Now Foster was frantic, “Omega Stark? Listen, I am sending Thor back right now. He will be there in four hours max. Just remember that. JARVIS, is that right? Could you put up a count down? It will give him something to concentrate on.” One immediately appeared in the air and Tony, locking his eyes on the countdown, heard JARVIS thank Dr. Foster and close the connection.


	5. I Regret to Inform You that We Are Out of Poptarts at the Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor arrives!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never tried to write Thor's viewpoint before and I hope that I caught his voice.
> 
> Thank you for all your comments, I read each one!

The lightening slanted towards the water, seeking always the salty current as the wind ripped the surface of the ocean, creating waves. Thor loved the storms of Midgard; the raw power and force of wind, temperature, pressure and water. A part of him reveled in the chaos that surrounded him as he flew above the Atlantic. He did prefer the Atlantic to the Pacific as its shallower waters provided more pleasing storms; although the Pacific ones were stronger. To fly through these earthly skies and feel the power of the storms was a great pleasure and one that Thor indulged in often. But on this day, even as he enjoyed flying through the fury of the storm, his mind was mostly fixed upon the possible distress of his good friend, the Omega Anthony.

His beloved Jane had been most upset by the phone call from Anthony; immediately sending Thor to his friend’s aid. The Lady Darcy had assisted her in pushing him out of the building to fly to New York. They had implored him not to linger, although the storm did call for him to stop and play in its violence. Anthony was in significant distress, according to Jane, alone in the tower; Lady Darcy had chimed in to state that leaving an Omega alone would cause them stress and showed poor behavior on the part of the Pack. Thor was confused by this as he knew the members of the Avengers Pack, especially Steven, to be honorable people and the he could not understand how they could not fulfill their obligations. When Steven had told Thor that Anthony had agreed to be Omega, Steven had indicated that this decision put the rest of the Avengers in a responsible position for Anthony.

Thor knew that he himself did not have the instincts or social knowledge that made Pack dynamics second nature to everyone else in the Pack. Steven had taken pains to explain the role of the Omega and the restrictions that Anthony had agreed to for the role. Thor had listened attentively, attempting to increase his knowledge of Midgardian culture. He had learned about the responsibilities of the Omega for the wellbeing of the Pack; that the Omega would determine who could join the Pack to maintain healthy dynamics. Steven had also confided the stress that he himself was under. Thor had noticed that most of the Pack seemed to forget that their Alpha was a young man who had been thrown out of his time and place and into the leadership role. Thor well understood the pressure that came with a leadership role and how he had depended on others to provide him with some relief.

Thor had not been startled that Anthony was willing to undertake the duties of the Omega. The Man of Iron had a generous soul and loved his pack with a concealed passion. Thor grieved for the pain that Anthony must have endured to cause him to hide his heart and the depth of his love even from the Lady Pepper. And he respected Anthony’s dedication to his duties.  Thor had watched him attend to even the least of the Omega’s duties with care. Anthony had worked diligently to turn the tower into a place where all members of the Avengers Pack would feel a sense of home. He had established rituals of greeting and leave-taking that Thor knew helped create a separation of home from everywhere else. Thor watched as Anthony strove to strengthen Steven’s sense of stability in his position; Anthony not only took responsibilities from Stephen, but also forced the Alpha to relax and explore his talents outside of his role. Thor himself appreciated Anthony’s understanding of his need to discuss his brother; the Omega had willingly listened to Thor’s confusion and grief.

And the Pack had reciprocated this care. The times when Anthony would lock himself away alone for days were gone. Thor had participated in the new rituals of retrieving the genius from his workshop at regular intervals, certainly for food and rest, but also for companionship. The Eye of Hawk now would tempt Anthony from his workshop to participate in pranks on the others, all of which Thor enjoyed heartily. It had always been true that the wise Dr. Banner had a deep and close relationship with Anthony as they shared an obsession with the pursuit of knowledge. Even the fearsome Lady Warrior Natasha openly showed affection to the Omega.

Given these dynamics, it was perplexing to Thor that the Pack could have failed to fulfill its basic obligation to the Omega by providing Anthony with the companionship that his role demanded of them. Even if duties pulled the others away, Thor would and did have no qualms about returning to spend time with the Man of Iron. He could not understand why the Omega had become so distressed that his beloved Jane had easily been able to hear it in a simple phone call. Surely, the others of the Pack should have called Thor and asked him to return before Anthony had suffered so. There had been no news that would indicate that any of the Pack was wounded; there was a mystery about this.

He landed on the roof of the tower and descended into the penthouse to the Pack room, a place for bonding and refreshment of the spirit that Anthony had created near the Omega’s own bedchamber. As he came to the room, mindful of Jane’s explanation of the state of being feral for an Omega, Thor called out to warn him as he entered. It was an excellent caution as he opened the door to be confronted with the Man of Iron’s fearsome armor, its gauntlet raised and poised for battle. “Omega Anthony, is there some enemy here to threaten us? I have seen no one in my descent from the roof. Inform me of the situation so that I may stand in arms with you.”

Tony peered around the armor and considered the figure in front of him. In his current state, it took him longer than usual to translate Thor’s flowery and archaic speech patterns. Omega Brain did not help by seizing on the words “enemy” and “threaten.” Finally, as if he was working while covered in a quilt, he figured out what Thor had said. “I don’t think there are any enemies in the tower. It’s just stupid instincts gone wild. Do you think I could have something to eat? I’m sorry I interrupted your time with your Jane; I just don’t…” Tony trailed off as his mind ran out of things to say.

Thor considered Anthony; the engineer was shaking, pupils blown. Jane and the Lady Darcy had been right, it was clear that the Omega was not healthy. He wondered what to do, considered his memories of the Pack interactions. “Anthony, my friend, how can you even speak of inconveniencing me and eating at the same time? The times that we have shared fine Midgardian fare are among my happiest memories. I would come far further distances to dine with you, my friend and Omega. What delicacies shall we try tonight?” A bluff and cheerful manner, he thought, is what is needed to calm the Omega and ease his tension. And it worked; Anthony came out from behind his magnificent armor. Remembering induction and the seclusion afterwards, Thor spread his arms and the Omega walked into them.

Tony curled into Thor’s broad chest and for the first time in days, allowed himself to relax. Omega Brain was making happy noises in the back of his head; cuddling! Food! And then…more cuddling!  Someone was finally treating them the way they should be treated and the Pack wasn’t dead, which was good, since otherwise the Omega would have to leave the Pack quarters and kill people, and it did not want to leave the Pack Quarters. Tony once again reminded himself Omega Brain was murderous, self-centered, impracticable and often absolutely right. But, damn, Thor gave some of the best cuddles. He patted the broad chest to show his appreciation. Then his stomach rumbled, “Perhaps, we could try something new? Have you ever tried Greek? I know this little place, been going there for years, owners would probably deliver if I asked. Hey, J. call up Mrs. Papadopoulos and find out if she would be willing to send some food over. Tell her I am weak from hunger. Which is true this time.”

“Of course Sir. Prince Thor, I regret to inform you that we are out of Poptarts at the moment, but I shall order more to be delivered tomorrow.” The voice of Anthony’s invisible servant had an undertone of…relief? Conditions were worse than Thor thought if even the redoubtable JARIVS was perturbed by the situation. Still, the Omega seemed to be calming; certainly he looked and sounded better than when Thor had first appeared. He would make sure that Anthony ate and slept and by the morrow, everything would be well. When the rest of the Pack returned, he would speak with them and determined how the situation had occurred and how to prevent it from happening again.


	6. Nothing Smaller Than a Whole Pig

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pack is finally back at the tower and happily ignorant of any problems. That will not last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this story is expanding as the Pack figures out that there is a problem and try to deal with it.
> 
> Thank you! I know I say that for every chapter, but the comments and the kudos make me write faster!

Clint shifted the bags he was carrying and sighed. Heavy grocery bags and a long fight did not make a happy couple. Natasha glanced over at him and smiled sardonically. “I know, I know” said Clint in reply to the look, “But we have been gone for so long, I want to do something nice for him. You know that Steve will carry him out of sight after dinner.” He and Natasha hadn’t seen Tony in weeks, but Steve had also been gone a long time and the Alpha had a more difficult time being without the Omega.

Natasha shrugged, acknowledging the truth of their Alpha’s possessiveness of their Omega. It was to be expected her body language indicated. “I’ll make the cake, but I’ll let you feed it to him.” teased Clint. He was really looking forward to coming back to the tower. Being part of a close-knit Pack had changed Clint’s view of pack life. For the first time in his life, he was looking forward to coming back to a home, filled with Pack and an Omega. He had no good memories of his family pack and the circus pack had never welcomed him, and certainly had not cared for him. The sure knowledge that Tony would be standing at the elevator when they exited warmed him in a manner he had never experienced before.

Tony hadn’t known much about being an Omega, only, Clint gathered, what he had found out from one other Omega and what Steve remembered about Bucky. But he had, sometimes grimly, set out to fulfill his responsibilities to the Pack and part of that, according to Tony, was greeting members whenever they returned to the Tower and saying goodbye to them when they left. Clint liked the greeting best. Tony had developed an odd gesture that Clint had never seen before. He would run his hand against his Pack mate’s face. It enveloped you in Omega scent, thought Clint, and sometimes you could get a lick at the glands in and Tony would pause his movement to let you taste. It had become the definition of home to Clint and he knew, although, she would never say, that Natasha looked forward to it as much as he did. The doors of the elevator opened and, as Clint had predicted, Tony stood there waiting for them. “Hey Legolas, how was the shooting?” Tony asked casually as his hand caressed Clint’s face and his eyes raked over the Archer.

“We are fine Tony.” Natasha assured him, correctly interpreting the searching look. Tony turned to her and repeated the caress. “We saw Steve at SHIELD and he checked us out. He said that he would be about an hour behind us.” She watched the Omega’s body relax slightly. He was too thin, thinner than he had been when they left, she thought worriedly, and too tense. Steve needed to stop taking long assignments and, maybe, she and Clint should as well. The Omega did not take care of himself well without them. Of course, Banner had been here but he was almost as bad as Tony about working non-stop. It was odd but pleasant to have someone to worry about and care for, and she liked the feeling, although she only acknowledged the fact to herself.

Tony smiled at both of them and, after telling them that Bruce was in the kitchen (and that the Omega had been told not to go in) and Thor was on the roof, he returned to his workshop. Clint checked in quickly with Bruce. Bruce chattered excitedly about his workshop/conference thing and revealed that he was making Tony’s favorite curry as a surprise. Clint assured him that he and Natasha were fine and that he was going to make his famous chocolate cake. He and Bruce worked companionably in the huge communal kitchen. Natasha was settled on outer side of the island helping with prep. Thor had wandered in and was entertaining them with a story about a feast following a hunt that featured a strange creature that turned out to be completely inedible. It was a hilarious story that made Thor look as silly as it was possible for him to be. When Tony came up from the workshop and stood in front of the elevator, they went silent and watched.

The elevator opened and Steve stepped out. Tony caressed his face as he had Clint and Natasha. But Steve reached out and pulled the Omega close to him, burying his face in Tony’s neck glands. Tony seemed to be stiff at first, but then relaxed into the Alpha’s hold. They were still for a while and then Tony pulled away, murmuring to Steve. He turned and left, back to the lab they assumed. Steve headed over to the kitchen and spent some time greeting each member of the Pack, catching up and checking for injuries. Clint and Natasha rolled their eyes at each other as the Alpha checked them for at least the third time. Natasha absently noted that Tony seemed very quiet for Tony.

Steve felt his shoulders relax as his Pack came together under one roof. He disliked that the Pack was so scattered so much of the time. He was revolving plans for eliminating that problem, and now that he had some time, he could run them by Tony.  He smiled at the thought. Tony had surpassed Steve’s hopes as Omega. The Pack was so much more cohesive now and the members were happier. Clint’s recovery, Bruce’s gradual rise from isolation, even Natasha’s slowly growing trust were all direct results of Tony’s efforts as Omega. Steve knew that Tony didn’t see what he did as being as valuable as Steve did, but Steve knew that Tony had made a world of difference to the Pack. Tony had also taken a lot of responsibility off of Steve and given the younger man space and support to come to grips with the future and his new life.

The whole Pack, except Tony, was now involved in meal preparations. Clint and Bruce were predominantly responsible for the actual cooking; Steve and Natasha were in charge of preparation and Thor was fetching and carrying.  Experience had shown that Thor could only be relied on to cook over an open flame with something no smaller than an entire pig. The menu was based on Tony’s favorites, the food he was guaranteed to eat, especially Clint’s chocolate cake. Actually, they all loved that cake. The scent of the Pack was happy and relaxed as they planned a special dinner for their Omega.

The Pack was chatting and catching up on the past few weeks; Clint asked Thor about Jane and Darcy.

“Yes, my beloved is working hard and I am honored to help care for her. But it was no hardship to come home early when Omega Anthony called in distress.”

There was silence as the Pack processed this statement. Steve lost all sense of relaxation.

“What do you mean by ‘Anthony called in distress’?” Steve asked, feeling the tension rising in the kitchen.

“He called to ask me to return as he was alone in the Tower and had been for some days. My beloved Jane was most concerned and insisted that I immediately go to Anthony’s side. I believe that you were delayed in your return, Steven.” This was said without any censure. Thor, although he participated in all Pack activities, was still an alien. Nothing pointed that out more starkly then his calm delivery of what was profoundly disturbing news to the rest of the Pack. “Anthony and I spent a most enjoyable few days until Dr. Banner returned from his conference. I am concerned that Anthony was very upset when I came and I would like to discuss avoiding such a situation again.” Everyone had turned to stare at Thor as he spoke. And then, like a scene from a bad movie, the elevator opened and Tony walked in.


	7. Post It on the Fridge Next to the Chore Chart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now the Pack knows that they abandoned Tony in the tower. What will they do when they see Tony again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK - here is an early weekend present for everyone who so nicely commented and gave me kudos - an early chapter posting!
> 
> Thank you again for all your kind comments!
> 
> I think there will be at least 3 more chapters and an epilogue for this work and then I have a CA:WS one to do.

Everyone had been staring at Thor when he exited the elevator and now they were all staring at him and Tony could smell the Pack distress. A good Omega, he thought, would immediately know how to diffuse the tension and resolve the issue. However, events had shown pretty conclusively that he was not a good omega, so he could obey his entirely selfish instincts and run away. Unfortunately, Steve’s speed and a closed elevator door defeated his escape plan. He was pinned against Steve’s chest and then he felt Steve’s mouth on the back of his neck.  Five months and he was still incredibly sensitive to the Alpha chemicals. Generally, they just made him happy and pliant, but when he had been stressed, the chemicals dropped him like a rock. Steve felt Tony go limp in his arms and barely managed to catch him. Tony was almost unconscious. Generally, this level of pliancy occurred only when Steve dragged Tony from a marathon in his workroom.

“Clint, Bruce, keep completing the meal.  JARVIS, when was the last time Tony ate and slept?”

“Sir last slept for a significant amount of time five days ago when Prince Thor returned to the Tower, and he has eaten at least one meal a day since that time. However, Sir was under a great deal of stress immediately before that while isolated in the tower.” There was an unmistakable tone of censure in the AI’s voice and Steve thought they deserved it. Tony must be furious with them; it certainly explained why he greeted them in relative silence (for Tony at least) and then immediately retreated to his workroom. Refusal to interact socially with the Pack was a hallmark of Omega displeasure. They needed to do a great deal of groveling. How the hell this had happened would have to be discussed later.

“Natasha, can you please get a blanket? And then everyone get the meal and we will eat in the Pack room.”

Steve had stopped the Omega from running which would have turned a mess into a disaster. He had known the moment that Tony had come out of the elevator that he would run. Based on his behavior at greeting (so quiet; Tony was never quiet) he must be furious at the Pack’s neglect and probably was unsure how to approach them about the issue. Tony had worked hard as Omega to become more open to the Pack, but his first instinct would always be to avoid emotional issues. A simple confrontation Tony would throw himself into without reservation, but anything that might involve vulnerability would find him in total avoidance. They needed to care for and comfort the Omega before anything else and at least Tony’s tendency not to consider his physical needs gave them an easy place to start. Once that was done, maybe Tony would be willing to talk and help the Pack make amends. Steve had bought the Pack some time to repair the damage they had done to their Omega and, if Tony got some sleep and actually ate a meal that was a bonus.

Steve carefully undressed Tony with Thor’s help and then took off his own shirt. Skin to skin contact was always better for an Alpha and Omega, especially after a separation. Steve actually could feel Tony relaxing at the contact even in his stupor. Natasha returned with her special blanket – a cloud-soft throw that Tony had given her after their first sexual encounter. They wrapped Tony and Steve up together as they settled on the couch in the Pack room.  Bruce and Clint brought the food up and set it out on the bar Tony had thoughtfully provided when he redesigned the room.  Clint piled what looked like a serving dish, which made sense when he settled himself on the back of the sofa behind Steve and began to hand him food. The whole Pack watched the Omega intently. Thor also filled a serving platter and settled himself opposite to Steve. Bruce had picked a place at Tony’s feet and wasn’t eating. Natasha immediately took up a plate and filled it. She would feed Tony when he woke up enough.

Once everyone was settled, Steve cleared his throat. “Before he wakes up, I think we should figure out what happened here.” He made a gesture to quiet everyone and added, “I am not blaming anyone for what happened here. I am the Alpha and I have primary responsibility for care of the Omega. I just want a clear picture of what happened so that we can prove to Tony that it won’t happen again.” There was a silence as everyone waited. Steve sighed, “I’ll start. I was on a mission and it was extended. My fault was that I didn’t reach out to directly to Tony to let him know. No, my fault is that I have let SHIELD send me on long-term missions even after induction. I know that we have decided to conceal Tony’s status from SHIELD, but I could have found a way to reduce my mission time.”

“Nat and I were just discussing that as we left SHIELD. We’ve been out missions ever since I was ok’d for work. We really haven’t spent time with Tony the way we should.” Clint spoke up.

Natasha spoke next, “We were also delayed, although I did send a message to Tony and Bruce. We were at a critical point in the mission and extraction was not a possibility.”

“I should never have left the tower!” Bruce burst out, wringing his hands; he was looking a little green. He obviously blamed himself for leaving without waiting to make sure that Steve had returned. Steve wanted to be angry at that, but, in fairness, he had known about Bruce’s conference and Tony had made it crystal clear that this was incredibly important to the scientist and was a Pack priority. Steve should have refused the extension of the mission and returned to the tower; or at least, made sure that someone else was there to take over from Bruce. To his surprise, it was Natasha who responded.

“No Bruce, we depend on you too much. You have been Tony’s companion in the tower for weeks and we all knew that you had this conference. Tony told us that you needed to go. It was unfair of us to make you the default.”

“It’s also not fair to Tony.” Clint spoke up, “I mean,” he stumbled when everyone looked at him, “he stays in the tower all the time and he should have more than one of us as company. When I was with Bruce and Tony, he would work in the lab with Bruce and then we would, you know…” they all did know. After the scent maskers were finished, Tony and Clint had embarked on an odyssey to create the ultimate prank. They had terrorized everyone in the tower except for Bruce (no one ever pranked Bruce).

Thor spoke next, “I have been considering this since Anthony asked me to return. I am saddened that it took such distress to cause Anthony to call on me. When I arrived, he apologized for disturbing me. It is not right that a sword brother and an Omega should not believe that he has a right to call upon us for assistance. Moreover, Anthony continued to insist that I could return to my beloved each day as if I would leave him to suffer.” Thor had thought long about the situation. He wanted to emphasize to the Pack that Anthony did not feel comfortable asking for what he needed and this had left him in a precarious position. Thor was very familiar with the tendency of warriors to feel that asking help was a weakness; he had felt that way for a time in his foolish youth. His father, Odin, had rebuked him for it, pointing out to Thor, that he, the All-Father, sought assistance and advice from his queen and that did not make him weak, it made him wise.

The Pack was quiet as Steve considered what everyone had said. He was struck by both Clint and Thor’s observations. It was true that they had used Bruce as the default companion to Tony; it was a natural action as they shared the deepest friendship in the Pack as well as mutual devotion to science. Bruce, also, was always reluctant to engage in too much activity outside the tower. Steve wondered briefly if Bruce had always been a loner or if that too was a function of the Hulk. Whatever the reason, Bruce did not leave the tower frequently, preferring to work in his lab or mediate in the rooftop garden that Pepper and he had created. But, Steve could see now, that did restrict Tony significantly. Tony had contacts outside the Pack, Pepper, Lt. Rhodes and Happy, but all his communications with them barely added up to 10 hours a week (yes, Steve kept track – he blamed it on his Alpha possessiveness). And, Steve admitted, the Omega should not have to depend on any outside the Pack for companionship. With most of the Pack gone, Tony was very isolated.

“OK, we need to rework how we are handling this. Fury has sent candidates to add to the Pack and Tony and I have been looking through to see if there are any that we want to meet. Tony also likes that Spiderman kid over in Queens and, to be honest, we are both worried about him being on his own.” Having a larger Pack would give both more coverage and more social outlets for Tony. It was a long-term permanent solution to some of the problems.

“Tony really didn’t like one of those files.” Bruce contributed thoughtfully, “I think he had Dummy and Butterfingers burn it.”

Steve acknowledged that with a nod; whoever Agent 13 was, Tony _hated_ her. He had asked about the violent reaction and Tony had muttered something about ‘omega brain.’ If the kid from Queens was interested, that would be good. He was interested in science and, given his probable age, he wouldn’t be traveling out of town much. Steve had noted a couple of other interesting names; the Wasp and Ant Man (SHIELD had provided alias only). Steve knew that Tony wanted Col. Rhodes to join them as well, but that the Air Force was not totally on board; but that could be worked around. Still, adding members was a longer term solution and would not solve the problem or give Tony assurance that his welfare was a major focus of the team. Steve sighed and revealed these thoughts to the team. There was glum agreement.

“We need a schedule.” Bruce suddenly offered, “so Tony has certainty.”

“Like what, on the fridge next to the chore chart?” Clint asked.

“That might work. At least, it would be easier to see where a problem might occur. I am concerned that so many of us had our missions ‘extended’ at the same time.” Natasha commented. In response to Steve’s questioning look, she continued, “Fury might be seeing if he could force us into taking on new members more swiftly and, if one of those becomes Omega…” she trailed off. She could see the maneuvers now. Fury wasn’t trying to hurt Tony, as he didn’t know that Tony was Omega, but Fury was frustrated that the Avengers was such a small team. He had been pushing for expansion aggressively for weeks now. Natasha wondered what he saw coming down the pike; it was obviously something big. Scattering the Pack, well, Fury might see that as pushing the need for more members and an Omega to the crisis point.

“I agree on the schedule and I will discuss the new membership with Tony. But, we will need to apologize to Tony when he wakes up and see what he wants us to do to make amends.” Steve sighed; he was not looking forward to what happened when Tony resurfaced.


	8. Sometimes an Alien Was Just What You Needed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony wakes up and the Pack tries to apologize only to find out that they and their Omega are not even in the same book, let alone on the same page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know I sound like a broken record, but thank you for all the comments and kudos! I love talking about this world so let me have any questions:-)

Natasha tested Tony’s responses every so often until, after an hour, he began to respond to the food touching his lips. She scooped a piece of butter chicken up with chopsticks. She had started using chopsticks when she noticed that Tony would flinch minutely when she aimed a pointed object (like a fork) at him. Silly, really, since she could easily kill someone with a chopstick. For just a moment, her mind ran all the possible scenarios. No one had ever mentioned her utensil switch, but Clint had bought her beautiful laminated chopsticks in Chinatown. She felt Tony take the chicken and switched her attention back to the feeding the Omega. A piece of naan with dal on it? Oh, yes, he did like Bruce’s dal – she did herself as a matter of fact. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bruce hold up a glass of water with a straw and nodded. Tony was probably dehydrated as well as hungry. Natasha was aware that there was a part of her mind that was very angry indeed that Tony had been left alone; but that anger would not help the situation, so she locked it down and concentrated on feeding Tony.

Tony emerged back into the present. He was curled against Steve’s bare chest (and his clothes were gone, but at least he was wrapped in a blanket – Natasha’s sex blanket, nice).He was never really sure what state it was that the pheromones put him into; it wasn’t really sleep and he wasn’t unconscious. But he was the most relaxed he had been in days. Even after Thor had returned and helped him, Tony had been unable to relax. The heightened anxiety had kept him from sleeping, especially with Omega Brain always chattering in the background. Speaking of which, he checked in with Omega Brain; it was alternating, as it had been for 5 days, between rage that the Pack had neglected it and happiness that the Pack was fine. The uppermost thought seemed to be that Steve had a nice chest and would heal very quickly after Omega Brain hit him.

A piece of naan appeared in front of him with Bruce’s special dal on it and he opened his mouth eagerly. That was Natasha he knew. She was secretly very proud of the fact that Tony would let her feed him, to her, a true indication of trust. Tony had smelled Bruce’s cooking when he was up greeting Clint and Natasha and later Steve. However, the anxiety had made it difficult to consider actually eating and he had actually come up to the floor to say that he was going to bed. Not that that would have worked once the Pack saw him. Now that food was in his mouth, he realized that he was very hungry and made a happy humming noise when sips of water and more butter chicken followed the dal.

Still chewing, he raised his head slightly so he could look around. Tony realized that they were in the Pack room and Bruce was undoubtedly the person massaging his feet since Bruce gave the best foot rubs. Thor was sitting on the couch opposite and devouring an enormous plate of food. Clint was perched on the back of the couch Tony was lying on and was apparently feeding himself and Steve alternately. Steve’s arms had tightened a little as Tony moved and Tony settled back to indicate that he was not planning to leave. His Pack was here and they were taking care of him – the foods were his favorites and had been made especially for him. He could smell a Clint special chocolate cake. Omega Brain was squealing with relief and glee, although there was still a “hit Steve” undertone, and buried under that, the always present thought that killing Fury was a good idea. But there was still a wrongness which he traced to the smell of the Pack – they were upset, significantly so.

Steve smiled down at Tony, in spite of the seriousness of the situation. Tony had slept for about an hour under the influence of the pheromones and was now eating. It was a source of (hidden) amusement to the Pack that Tony would eat anything that Natasha offered him. Steve, who was well aware of Natasha’s original reservations about Tony as omega, always found her pride in the trust that Tony had in her charming – although he would never say anything to Natasha. The Omega had kept readjusting himself in his sleep to maximize contact with his Alpha and had snuggled in even farther when Bruce started rubbing his feet. Steve knew that Bruce was still feeling very guilty and the foot rub was part of his apology. Bruce would probably also go along with any insane idea Tony had for the next few days until he got fed up. Steve would need to keep an eye on them.

So Tony was warm, fed and somewhat rested now and the Pack could apologize properly for their neglect. But approaching the subject was bound to be tricky. Tony was obviously angry enough that he had tried to avoid the Pack. And rightly so, leaving an Omega alone was a profound insult. It could only happen when a Pack was very careless or downright abusive of their Omega. Tony must have been frantic as his Omega instincts drove him to find the Pack, and when he couldn’t, to think that they were gone or destroyed or, even worse, that they had chosen to abandon him. Steve would have to go first as he was Alpha and should have made sure that the Omega was not left alone. He was feeling very guilty, although a tiny bit proud that Tony had stayed in Pack quarters and called Thor for help.

“Tony, are you back with us?” There was no use having a conversation if Tony was still under the influence so to speak. Tony twisted a little so that he was more turned into Steve’s chest. Steve decided that was an avoidance tactic and meant that Tony was aware of what was going on. “Tony, we need…”

He was interrupted by Tony surging up out of his lap and automatically tightened his arms. Tony really did _not_ want to hear what the Pack was going to say and his first instinct was to move the moment Steve started speaking. He felt Cap’s resistance, but knew, after a rather traumatic event from the first month following induction, that Steve would let go if Tony struggled. Then he felt a gentle tug on his ankle and looked over to see Bruce holding on with one hand. “Stay, Tony, please? Hear us out.”

He looked at Bruce for a long moment. Bruce was the closest person to Tony – the only one that he felt he had had a true friendship with before he became Pack Omega. Tony trusted Bruce and Bruce wouldn’t want Tony to stay and be hurt by the Pack’s disappointment in him. So, something else must be going on and Bruce looked so beseeching, like Tony was _justified_ in trying to leave and that was odd.  Generally, Bruce was the one who was reminding Tony that his obligation was to stay – although less lately. So Tony settled back onto Steve’s lap, indicating that the Omega was willing to listen to what the Alpha wanted to say. He felt Clint’s hand brush over his hair and he caught a murmured “Thanks Tony” from the archer. He could see that Natasha was also sitting back and looking, well she almost always looked alert, but maybe a little less alarmed? Steve’s arms went from confining to caressing and he felt the larger man sigh. Thor nodded in definitive satisfaction from the couch and gestured for Steve to continue. He was not the Alpha, but Thor would always be an innate ruler.

“Tony, we realize that…” Steve trailed off realizing that nothing he could say would truly convey the Pack’s remorse. He stood, transferring Tony to the couch and knelt down in front of the Omega, baring his neck glands. He felt the rest of the Pack join him.

Tony watched stunned as the entire Pack sank to their knees in front of him with their glands bared. It was the most profound indication of submission, especially for the Alpha. In ancient times, it had indicated the surrender of the Pack to a superior force. It was almost never seen in modern times, unless a Pack member did something unforgivable. Tony stared, torn between bewilderment and horror. He checked with Omega Brain thinking that it might know what was happening. Omega Brain was preening at this evidence of its dominance over the Pack and was still thinking vaguely about hitting Steve…and it was very unhappy about the cessation of cuddling. So, no help there.

There was a moment of complete silence as Tony attempted to process and then he opened his mouth…“I am completely confused here. What is going on with all of you? You leave me alone and then you make me dinner – and I still want that cake, by the way. Now you are all kneeling and I haven’t slept in three, five? days and maybe this is a hallucination? I mean, I may not be the best Omega but I thought we were doing OK and will you all get up? I can’t think like this.”

It was becoming abundantly clear to the Pack that their Omega was definitely not on the same page as the rest of them. Clint, interestingly enough, was the first to react. “Dude, what are you saying? We left you alone for _three days_ and didn’t even realize it! Of course, we’re making your favorite meal and giving you foot rubs and kneeling here. You should be _furious!_ ”

Natasha muttered something in Russian and got up to sit next to Tony on the couch. “We are angry with ourselves that we left you alone and now I am angry that we have not shown you how much we value you.”

“Well, to be fair, neither you nor Clint has been here for over a month. So, you really couldn’t be expected to know about all this.” Tony pointed out, thinking that he was being reasonable and making Clint and Natasha feel better. It backfired.

“That makes it worse, Tony! You’ve been a great Omega and Nat and I just wander off with no contact? That’s not good Pack behavior. I guess, I was just so happy to be back to normal that I didn’t even think…”

“Neither of us considered how you and Pack should change things. We asked a lot of you and you gave us more than I certainly hoped for and we did not respond well.” supplied Natasha as she cautiously placed her hand on Tony’s arm. “Our selfishness is not a consequence of your behavior.”

“I never should have left for that conference, Tony. I should have waited for Steve to arrive.” Bruce was wringing his hands, a nervous habit that drove Tony nuts.

“I told you to go, Brucie-bear. Steve was arriving in less than 24 hours and I was in the engineering groove. I actually didn’t notice that he wasn’t around until like 6 hours later. And really, I was in the Tower so I was perfectly safe.” Tony decided not to mention Omega Brain freaking out. “The food issue was a problem. Maybe I should set up an automatic dumbwaiter.” Tony stared blankly at Steve, already planning out how to add some kind of purely automated delivery service to the Tower. At least then he would have some food next time and not have to call Thor back from his Jane so Tony could get some pizza.

Steve stared back at him completely nonplussed. Tony was apparently expecting to be left alone again and was planning how to get food. How could Tony possibly be this blasé about what happened? It couldn’t be that he didn’t want the Pack around. That wasn’t possible, especially after everything that Tony had done since induction. Tony had been both inventive and determined about fulfilling what he saw as his duty; seeing to their emotional needs.  They had all begun to naturally lean on Tony. Steve knew that all of the Pack looked forward to Tony’s greetings, the effort he made to make sure they were welcomed home. Tony had encouraged Bruce to re-engage with the scientific community; had teased Clint out of his isolation; made himself soft and vulnerable to Natasha; and had listened to Thor speak about his brother.

As for Steve, Tony had been the rope he used to anchor himself to this new time. It was not only the time Tony took to explain modern technology, culture and slang. It was not even the Omega bond; although that bond had healed something wounded in Steve’s soul. Tony had become Steve’s soft place to land; someone who Steve could go to when he could no longer handle being Captain America and responsible for everything. When Steve came back from missions, there was always Tony to look forward to – listening to him burble about his technology, words tumbling so fast from his mouth, Steve couldn’t even follow; watching him mock movies and TV shows; even hearing him bitch about the stupidity of his R&D department – although no one other than Tony was allowed to say anything negative about them. All of this had made the Tower a place that Steve could be without being crushed by missing all he had lost.

But it was as if the Omega didn’t think that he was due any special consideration on his own account – that all the care that was shown was done only to make the Pack feel better. Suddenly, the events of the past months began to invert themselves in Steve’s mind. Maybe Tony didn’t think he deserved any more consideration. Had Steve ever told him, had anyone ever told him what an Omega should expect from their Pack? Steve had told him about what restrictions and demands the Pack would make on Tony; had he forgotten to tell Tony what he could demand from them? That was what Thor had said, that Tony hadn’t wanted to inconvenience him and Tony had sent Bruce off and not called him back because that was what Bruce wanted. Steve racked his brain trying to come up with any instance of Tony asking for something as the Omega. He couldn’t come up with anything – everything the Pack had done for the Omega had been a Pack action, not an Omega request.

But Tony had been happy since induction, Steve was sure of that. Steve had thought that Tony seemed more relaxed assured of his place. Shortly after the Pack formed, everyone had realized that Tony had lived mostly alone for his adult life; it was obvious from the surprise he showed whenever he found them in the communal kitchen or watching movies. It was only after he became the Omega that they realized that he was not alone by choice. Just the way he responded to the physical affection the Pack showered on him showed that. Tony had seemed to blossom when the Pack surrounded him. And it wasn’t as if Tony was passive. Tony certainly advocated for himself in sexual situations; the first time Steve had been subjected to a conversation on expectations and consent by Tony had been eye-opening (and embarrassing). But the Omega never initiated; looking at the past, Steve could see that even when Tony extended an invitation, it was based on what he thought the Pack members expected. Steve had believed that Tony was reveling in the central position he held in the Pack, the way it molded itself around him. But perhaps Tony had never seen himself as the center.

It was Thor who stepped in. “Omega Anthony, I am not completely familiar with Midgardian ways. But my beloved Jane informed me that an Omega should always expect the presence of Pack members to provide safety and comfort. I must agree with her that such an expectation is a small recompense for the valuable contributions that you have made to our well-being.”

Sometimes an alien was just what you needed! “Tony, you _are_ the center of the Pack. I know you think that I am being corny and old-fashion when I say things like that, but it’s true. We’re apologizing because we left the most valuable member of the Pack alone. I asked so much from you when I asked you to be our Omega. And you have embraced it. You deserve all our consideration for that.” Steve hoped that they were getting through to Tony. He did spare a thought for the irony that the Pack was trying to convince their Omega to be angry with them – only Tony could wind up putting him in this position!


	9. No More Rapunzel (Especially With the Goatee)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pack and the Omega talk or try to. Tony finally talks about his needs and the Pack talk about solutions. Everyone gets cake and cuddles. And for those of you who were worried, Omega Brain decides not to hit Steve (at this time).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe the lovely comments and kudos and the number of people who have read this piece. This is the last chapter of the story and the next one takes place after CA:WS and will have (at some point) the taking down of Fury by Omega Brain.
> 
> I am hoping to get the first chapter of that story up by Sunday.

Tony just stared at all of them wondering when his Pack had run mad. “Tony,” he turned his head to look at Bruce, “you talked to another Omega, didn’t you, before induction?” Tony nodded; Bruce knew this. After his nod, Bruce continued, “Did he tell you anything about the Omega and the Pack?”  Tony nodded again eagerly; this he knew. “Yes, he told me all about it. And I have been doing everything he said; I made a checklist.” He was very proud of that – he had shown it to Pepper who had given him her “Tony Look” which Tony decided to interpret as admiring. “I mean, I did some things on my own. Like the greeting thing – I thought that one up.” He glanced around at the Pack and they…didn’t look pleased. “You don’t like the greetings. I mean…I can stop…”

“NO!” came from all the Pack members. “Ooookay.” Tony said, now totally confused by the situation. He looked back at Bruce who sighed and started again, “I meant, Tony, did this Omega ever tell you about the other side of being an Omega?” Bruce could tell from Tony’s expression that the genius had no idea what he was talking about, “Tony, I know that this guy told you about what _you_ needed to do as Omega, but did he tell you about what _we_ needed to do?” Tony’s blank face told everyone all they needed to know.

“Tony,” Steve stopped, he was sort of lost here. He started again, “Tony, an Omega can make demands of the Pack and should expect the Pack to satisfy those demands.”

“Well, I don’t have to demand. You guys feed me and make me sleep and stuff without me saying anything.”

Clint actually face-palmed and Natasha huffed at that comment. They both stopped when Tony flinched minutely at the expression of annoyance. Steve glared at them from where he was still kneeling in front of Tony. They did not need to make Tony any more uncomfortable than he was and this was too important a topic to allow it to slide away in jokes as often happened in the Pack. “Tony,” he started, “I think Bruce is trying to tell you that you don’t have to let us get away with anything. I blame myself,” he went on, sitting back on his heels and scrubbing his hands through his hair, “I spent so much time telling you what we expected from you, I never told you what you could expect from us. I underestimated you and I am sorry.”

Omega Brain chose this moment to decide that since Steve had apologized, it was no longer necessary to hit him. Tony hated Omega Brain. “Alright,” Tony started cautiously, “so the leaving me alone shtick is all your responsibility.” He was prepared for Steve to jump in and start talking, but no one spoke, so he continued, “I’m gonna assume that means that you are going to come up with some way to prevent that from happening again. I mean, it wasn’t all bad. I’m here for you guys, but it was nice to have some time to myself. So I’m fine with being alone for half a day or so.” Tony figured that it was worth an attempt to try and reclaim a little privacy. The only good thing about the last few days was the time he got to spend without being disturbed in the workshop. If everyone was feeling guilty for not being around, then Tony would see what he could get away with.

Bruce picked up on the hint, “Tony, do you want to have time in the workshop without interruption?” Of course, Bruce got it. Tony wanted to be a good Omega and he understood that he spent a lot of time in the workshop, so it was a good place to be with him. But, when the Pack was around, they were _always_ in his workshop. But, he didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and he had promised that they could have access to him, so, “It’s not that I don’t want you guys down there. But it makes it hard on the bots to get around and, sometimes, I just want to be in the engineering groove. Also, this is what I do. You know, Clint cooks, Steve draws, etc. and I tinker. Of course, it’s also how I pay the bills and employ people.” He looked around and, to his surprise the Pack seems to be considering seriously this request.

“Ok, Tony. I know I asked you to not lock yourself up in the workshop so that you were available to us. But, I guess, I didn’t think about it like my drawing.” Tony had set Steve up with a studio on his floor and Steve spent a lot of time there, relaxing. He hadn’t thought about Tony’s workshop the same way. “Maybe we could work out a signal with JARVIS for when you want to have some engineering time? Then we will only interrupt you if it’s important. We are also going to keep a much closer eye on our schedules to make sure that we don’t have another situation like this one. And I am going to refuse any more long missions.” He looked around the room. Natasha and Clint were resigned; Bruce looked a little surprised, and Thor was regally indifferent. “Bruce, Clint has pointed out that expecting you to be the main companion to Tony is unfair to both of you. Yes,” he continued, holding up a hand to stop both of the geniuses from interrupting him, “I know that you are generally perfectly happy to be cooped up in those labs of yours but you both need more simulation than that.”

Tony suddenly realized this was the moment. He had been a businessman long before Ironman and had taken his father’s multi-million dollar company to a multi-billion one and he knew when the time had come to make a deal. “Since we’re discussing eliminating problematic situations here, I would like to point out that I have not left this tower since induction. I mean, I’ve been to assemblies - god, now I sound like a debutante in an Austen novel. I mean I know I’m supposed to be resting in the bosom of my Pack. Why is my mind trapped in bodice rippers? Ok, I want to go outside occasionally.” Omega Brain was making angry noises in the back of his mind about leaving the Pack. It caused Tony to add, “I don’t want to leave you guys or anything; I just want to maybe try that hamburger place Clint found?” Clint had brought one back for him one day; even kind of cold, it was delicious. He tried not to be alarmed when total silence greeted the speech. Sometimes it took a little time for people to unwind his speech patterns.

Steve looked at Natasha for confirmation; she had the best time sense out of all of them. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he saw her nod. So in addition to forgetting their Omega and leaving him alone for three days, they had apparently imprisoned him. Clint was the first one to react, “Shit Tony! How long have you felt this way? I found that hamburger place over a month ago. I would have taken you whenever; I didn’t know…shit, we are complete assholes.” He trailed off unable to articulate how shocked he was. Clint had only seen the Omega at the circus pack when he was young. But he clearly remembered that she had gone wherever and whenever she wanted with pack members trailing behind her. Of course, a circus by its very nature was not a single physical location. Still, he cringed mentally when he thought of Tony sitting in the tower, eating that stupid hamburger, and it hadn’t occurred to any of them to ask him if he wanted to go to the restaurant.

“I am confused.” Thor’s voice boomed out, “Why has Anthony not left the tower? I understood that the full isolation was for only 3 months. Is there some danger that his fearsome armor cannot protect him from?”

Steve sighed and then turned to Thor, “No, there seems to be a series of misunderstandings here.” He turned back to Tony on the couch, “Tony, you’re not a prisoner. If you want to go out, you just need to tell us. There will be places we won’t want you to go without armor and I guess we will ask you to wear the scent guards,” and he felt the entire Pack shudder, “but we never intended you to be stuck in the Pack quarters for months on end.” This entire evening seemed to be turning into a series of apologies for his stupidity. And Steve knew it was his fault, he was the Alpha and the only person who had experienced having an Omega. He had been so concentrated on making sure that Tony understood his responsibilities; he had tunnel vision, no other words for it.

“Great!” Tony clapped his hands together, “No more Rapunzel. I didn’t think the long hair would be a great look with the goatee. And, I can go flying, right? I mean I do that in the armor and I miss the flying.” His Alpha, apparently still stunned by the conversation, nodded wordlessly. Tony was relieved and contented. He had gotten what he wanted from the discussion and it was nice of the Pack to tell him about the schedule. Omega Brain was thrilled that Steve would not be gone for weeks at a time as it always regarded that as an insult and its response to insults was an intense desire to hit Steve. Tony had tried explaining that hitting Steve was a problem as it would hurt Tony more than Steve. Omega Brain would then sulk and it was incredibly annoying to have part of your brain giving the rest of you the sulking treatment.

The rest of the Pack was not relieved; if anything, they felt worse. Natasha decided to try one more time to explain the situation to their idiot genius, “Tony, being the Omega shouldn’t be only a series of obligations to you. We want to give you what _you_ want and need. Sometimes that is also what we want and need, but sometimes it may be something that we don’t want and need and we still have to do it regardless. This is not a one-way relationship.”

Tony did understand what Natasha and Steve and the others were trying to say, he did. But they did not have an Omega Brain that pushed against things Tony wanted and pushed for other things he wasn’t sure he wanted. He wanted to go outside and see the sun, other than through windows; Omega Brain wanted to stay in the nice Pack quarters. Tony wanted to see other people and socialize; Omega Brain practically had a nervous breakdown at the idea. He didn’t really want to explain his feelings – the thought gave him hives. But, the Pack really seemed to need this from him. “The problem is that I…well, ever since induction, it’s like…”this was hard and he was getting frustrated, “it’s like my brain has another person in it who wants other things. Like, I want to go out but it doesn’t. So when I see you want something,” he waved his arms to encompass the Pack, “than I want to give you that. But when I want something, it doesn’t.” he ended, kind of lame when he thought about it. But the Pack was nodding. Tony caught Natasha’s eye and saw her smile at him, her small real smile and knew that she understood. For the first time, it occurred to Tony that maybe he wasn’t the only one who changed since induction. Certainly, Natasha and he had a very different relationship now and maybe that was part of being a Pack. Omega Brain smugly told him he was an idiot.

“We want you to be happy Tony. You have done so much for everyone in this Pack. Let us give you what you need.” Steve was speaking but Tony could feel the intensity of the Pack and that he was speaking for all of them.

Tony looked at all of them – his Pack. He didn’t have a lot of experience with love, but he could recognize it when it slapped him in the face. He also could see that the Pack needed some release from the tension that had gripped it and, well, he was the Omega, dammit! “Well, if my well-being means that much to all of you, I claim the entire chocolate cake! Only Pack members I am happy with get any!”

Of course that meant that everyone got a piece (and for Steve and Thor that meant 4 pieces)…and a lot of cuddles.


End file.
